Suction cleaner



Sept. 16, 1941.

H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1938 B WW.

ATTORNEY p 1941. I H. B. WHITE 2,255,789

SUCTI ON CLEANER Filed Dec. 1'7, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 7 INVENTOR Ha rr y White ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 16, 1941 SUCTION CLEANER Harry B. White, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 17, 1938, Serial No. 246,315

' 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and particularly to new and novel improvements in suction cleaner rotary agitators. More specifically the invention comprises a rotary agitator for suction cleaners which includes automatically adjustable agitating means designed to exert substantially a constant agitating force upon a surface undergoing cleaning and adjustable automatically to 'various radial positions to produce such force.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved rotary agitator for suction cleaners. A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved rotary agitator for suction cleaners embodying automatic bristleadjusting means. Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitator for suction cleaners embodying rigid beating elements and flexible brush elements, the latter being automatically adjustable radially in cleaner operation to exert a predetermined brushing force. Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitator for suction cleaners which embodies radially adjustable brushing means which are automatically positioned to contact surfaces undergoing cleaning at various radial distances from the axis of agitator rotation. A further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel agitator capable of beating and brushing surface coverings and of sweeping bare uncovered floors. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed and in which the same reference character refers to the same parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a side view of a suction cleaner embodying an agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention, a portion of the cleaner casing being shown in section to disclose the agitator positioned therein together with the suction-creating means;

Figure 2 is a side view of the agitator construct. ed in accordance with the present invention with parts of the agitator body broken away to show lationship of the partsjnthe running condition with the brushing element retained at its maximum extension;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the agitator upon the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a partial view in perspective of the interior of the agitator and illustrates the relationship of the centrifugal locking means for the automatically positioned agitator brush with the brush at its maximum extension;

Figure 6 is a section through the agitator positioned in the running condition for sweeping a bare floor;

Figure 'l is a section through the agitator in the standing relationship. a

The-rotary agitator in suction cleaners functions to assist the air flow in removing the for eign material from the surface undergoing cleaning. The surface may comprise a surface covering or a bare uncovered floor. A desirable and preferred form of agitator comprises one which includes rigid beating elements capable of positively beating and vibrating a surface covering and also flexible brush elements which are capable of brushing and smoothing the pile of the surface covering. The brushing means normally comprise animal hairs and are subject to wear with use. In the common agitator in present day use the brushing means soon wear down and require replacement or readjustment manually. In the agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention at each new use of the cleaner the brushes are adjusted automatically to exert a desired brushing force upon the surface undergoing cleaning and thereby compensate for any change in bristle length. This automatic adjustment includes a range which permits the sweeping of a bare uncovered floor which is outside of the orbit of the rotating rigid heating elements and therefore not contacted by them.

Referring again to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, a modern suction cleaner is illustrated in which is embodied the agitator constructed in accordance with'the present invention. The cleaner is seen to comprise a nozzle I having surface-contacting front and rearlips 2 and 3, respectively/ An air passageway 4 extends rearwardly from the nozzle l and interiorly connects it to the fan chamber 5 within which is positioned a suction-creating fan 6, mounted upon the lower end of a motor shaft 1 extended downwardly from an unshown motor positioned within an overlying motor casing 8. An exhaust passageway 9 is formed on the fan chamber 5 and removably connected to it, by suitable manually operable means It, is a dust bag Thecleaner is movably supported upon front wheels,

one of which is indicated by the reference character l2, and by rear wheels, one of which is indicated at l3. Manually operable height-adjust- 1 ing means |4 permit the operator to raise and the front wheels to accomplish the raising andv lowering of the nozzle relative to a surface covering or surface undergoing cleaning. The general cleaner construction is completed by the provision of a pivoted handle l5, as in the usual cleaner construction by which the operator can propel the machine. 7 I

Positioned within the nozzle is a rotaryagitator I8 which is driven by the power-transmitting belt I3 from a pulley2|l formed upon the extreme lower end of the motor shaft 1. Agitator I8 is shown in detail in Figures 2 to 7, inclusive, and ,is seen to comprise an elongated cylindrical body 2| which is formed centrally of the agitator body 2|.

ratchets 40, 4|! which extend adjacent the stops 31, 31 being pivotally mountedupon a shaft 4| carried by brackets 42, 42 fixed to the interior Also carried by the shaft 4| is a centrifugal weight 43 which is at all times urged toward the axis of the agitator by a pair of coil springs 44, 44 encircling the shaft 4| and making contact with the weight and withthe brackets 42, 42. Under the actuation of the springs 44, 44 the centrifugal weight 43 is normally held in the stationary relationship in an inner position and the ratchets 4|], 40 are maintained at a distance from the stops 31, 31. This relationship is clearly illustrated in Figure '1. Upon the agitator beginning to rotate and reaching a predetermined speed, however, the centrifugal force acting upon the weight 43 overcomes the spring pressure exerted by the springs 44, 44 and that element flies radially outward to the positions illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6 and the ratchets 40, 40 move into contact with with a grooved portion 22 which serves as a pulley to receive the power-transmitting belt I 9. An end plate 24 closes each end of hollow-body 2| and rotatably supports it by a ball bearing'25 upon a shaft 26 which extends through the agitator and from the ends thereof. A thread guard member 21 is screw-threaded upon each end of the shaft 26yand cooperates with the end plate 24 to form protecting means for the bearing which prevent the accumulation of foreign material thereon.

Rigid beater elements comprising smooth, rounded elongatedhelical bars 28, 28 are positioned upon the outer surface of cylindrical body 2| and are seen to extend from common points at the opposite ends of the agitator. These beating elements, in the operation of the cleaner, contact, vibrate and beat a surface covering undergoingcleaning to dislodge therefrom all foreign material which is then carried away by the air 1 stream whichis drawn into the cleaner nozzle 1 by-thesuction-creating means.

Cooperating with the positive beating elements 1 28, 28 are axially extending brushes 30 which j tage diametrically and axially spaced in the agi- 1 tor. 1 row of flexible bristles 3| carried by a rigid brush 5 back 32 which is pivotally mounted interiorly of 3 the agitator body by a shaft 33 upon fixed brackets 34, 34. Agitator body 2| is itself cut away adjacent the brush 3!) and the inwardly extending walls at the extremities of the cut out portion, indicated at 35, 35, closely enclose the b1l1Sh back 32 in sliding relationship. A stop 1 Plate 36 is secured to the inner side of back 32 t and is formed at one edge with abutments or Each brush 30 comprises an elongated 1 stops 31, 31 which limit the outward radial movement of the brush 30 under centrifugal force and also the pivoting force exerted by 'a pair of rela-' ,tively long flexible leaf springs 38, 38, which are 1 carried by the interior of the agitator body 2|. 1 The stops 31, 31 limit the outward radial move- 1 ment of the brush by-contacting the inner end of the curved wall adjacent the moving end of i the wall being such that the brush back substan- I tially closes the interior of the agitator from the 1 surrounding atmosphere and prevents the free the stops 31, 31 and restrain the outward radial movement of the brush back under the actuation of'the leaf springs 38, 38.

The operation of the invention is as follows.

Upon' the cleaner being started, the motor ro-.

tates and the rotation of the fan 6 causes a reduced pressure efiective within the nozzle I 'which draws an air stream therethrough and causes a surface covering beneath the nozzle to be lifted upwardlyinto contact with the lips 2 and 3 and with the agitator l8. The agitator is rotated by the motor shaft and thepowertransmitting belt I9 and the rigid beating elements 28, 28 and the brushes 30, 30 make contact with the covering. The radial positions of therigid beater elements donot change as they are fixedly carried by. the exterior of the agitator body. The brush elements are, at the beginning of agitator rotation, held at their outermost position by the spring force of springs 38, 38. In this position the stops 31, 31 contact the top of As the agitator speed ering forces the brushes inwardly as the brushes make contact therewith. Centrifugal force assisted by the spring force urges the brushes out- 1 the brush back, the relationship of the back to wardly and the summation of these forces is substantially constant at the speed'at which the centrifugalv locking means operate. The surface-covering-exerted force opposes these forces and moves the brush radially inward until the opposing forces balance. Upon the speed of rotation reaching the predetermined point, the centrifugal weights 43, 43 fly outwardly and the brushesare locked .in the innermost position to which they are moved by the covering. The brushes thereafter can be moved further, inwardly, as the ratchet teeth are so formed, but further outward radial movement cannot take place until the cleaner has been stopped and the centrifugal brush-locking mechanism has assumed its initial position.

Where the cleaner is being used upon a bare floor, the brush will fly outwardly until contact is made with the floor just as though it were a surface covering and will be locked in that position or will be retained with the stop 31 against the topof the wall 35, depending-upon the height of the nozzle adjustment.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner rotary agitator rotatable about an horizontal axis, a rotatable body, an

agitating element mounted for radial, movement a,aoo,7eo 1 3 on said body, spring means urging said element outwardly to its-maximum radial extension, said element being adapted to move radially inward .under a surface-exerted iorce exceeding the spring force, and means to lock said element in a radial position at which the spring force plus centrifugal force and surface exerted force on said element are equal.

2. In asuction cleaner rotary agitator rotatable about an horizontal axis, a rotatable body,

an agitating element mounted for radial movement on said body, within limits, spring means urging said element radially outward to its maximum extension, said element being. adapted to move radially inward under a surface-exerted force exceeding the spring force, and means operative at a predetermined speed to lock said element against outward radial displacement.

3. A rotary agitator for suction cleaners rotatable. about an horizontal axis and comprising so an agitating element mounted to move radially outward into predetermined-pressure exerting contact with a surface undergoing cleaning, and agitator-rotation-operated means to secure said element in the position in which it exerts the predetermined pressure. I

4. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner rotatable about an horizontal axis and comprising a radially movable agitating element to gauge the distance of a surface undergoing cl the axis of agitator rotation, and a tion-actuated means to secure said element in a position in which its radial extension equals substantially the distance from the said axis to the surface undergoing cleaning 5. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a rotary agitator in said nozzle rotatable about an horizontal axis and comprising a radially movable agitating element adapted to contact a suction-lifted surface covering undergoing cleaning. 8 tator-rota- "40 tion-actuated element-locking means to secure said element ata covering-contacting position. and suction-creating means connected to-said nozzle to lift a surface covering undergoing cleaning upwardly into contact with said agitator to move said agitating element. f

6. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having surface contacting lips, a rotary agitator rotatable about an horizontal axis in said nozzle includfrom 30 ing a rotatable body with fixed rigid beating elements and radially movable flexible brushing elements, said brushing elements extending substantially into the plane of said nozzle lips being movable radially into contact with a surface undergoing cleaning and being adapted to be forced radially inward thereby, and means to retain said brushing element at the irmer radial position to which it is forced by a surface under-. going cleaning. I i

7. In a rotary agitator for suction cleaners, a body rotatable about an horizontal axis, aradially movable agitating element on said body, spring means urging said element radially outward, a ratchet adapted to engage said element to fix its radial position, a centrifugal weight connected to said ratchet'to move it into element enga ing position, and spring means to prevent the movement of said weight below a predetermined speed of agitator rotation.

- 8. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, an elongated cylindrical body, means to support said'body for rotation about its major axis, a rigid beater element positioned on said body, a

flexible brush element extended radially beyond a said body, means mounting said brush on said body for inward radial movement under a force received thereby from a contacted surface undergoing cleaning during agitator rotation, and

dergoingcleaning during agitator rotation,

means urging said'brush element radially outward during agitator rotation, and means operative at a predetermined speed of agitator rotation to prevent outward radial movement of said brush only.

HARRY B. WHITE. 

